Various surgical procedures including, for example, spinal procedures may include the securement of a low load bearing prosthesis such as, for example, an adhesion barrier, to a patient's bone in order to minimize and/or prevent scar tissue from adhering to one or more tissues, organs, arteries, veins, blood vessels, etc. such as, for example, to the aorta, vena cava and/or other retroperitoneal structures (collectively referred to herein as vessel V). Generally speaking, the low load bearing prosthesis acts as a barrier to prevent scar tissue from adhering to the patient's vessel V. That is, placement of the low load bearing prosthesis between the surgical site and the patient's vessel V helps prevent scar tissue from adhering to the patient's vessel V.
In addition, the low load bearing prosthesis may facilitate identification of surgical planes and/or safe navigation paths around critical vessels V during a revision surgery if one is needed. That is, the low load bearing prosthesis may operate to produce one or more planes through a scar laden field so that a surgeon can navigate along the prosthesis during a subsequent revision surgery if necessary.
As such, low load bearing prosthesis, unlike rigid fixation systems or load bearing prosthesis such as, for example, bone plates, do not carry load while the patient heals or during the patient's lifetime. Thus, the low load bearing prosthesis is often in the form of a thin plate, a membrane or a barrier and only requires appropriate alignment and placement.
Thus, it is advantageous to provide fixation implants, instruments and a surgical method to secure the low load bearing prosthesis to the patient's bone via a plurality of impact driven fixation implants so that overall surgical time is minimized.